An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis Niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis Niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya Titus Chemandwa Ndiwa1,2, Dorothy Wanja Nyingi1*, Jean-Franc¸ois Agnese2 1 Kenya Wetlands Biodiversity Research Group, Ichthyology Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 De´partement Conservation et Domestication, UMR IRD 226 CNRS 5554, Institut des Science de l’Evolution, Universite´ de Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France Abstract The need to improve food security in Africa through culture of tilapias has led to transfer of different species from their natural ranges causing negative impacts on wild fish genetic resources. Loboi swamp in Kenya is fed by three hot springs: Lake Bogoria Hotel, Chelaba and Turtle Springs, hosting natural populations of Oreochromis niloticus. The present study aimed at better genetic characterization of these threatened populations. Partial mtDNA sequences of the D-loop region and variations at 16 microsatellite loci were assessed in the three hot spring populations and compared with three other natural populations of O. niloticus in the region. Results obtained indicated that the hot spring populations had mitochondrial and nuclear genetic variability similar to or higher than the large closely related populations. This may be attributed to the perennial nature of the hot springs, which do not depend on rainfall but rather receive permanent water supply from deep aquifers. The study also revealed that gene flow between the three different hot spring populations was sufficiently low thus allowing their differentiation. This differentiation was unexpected considering the very close proximity of the springs to each other. It is possible that the swamp creates a barrier to free movement of fish from one spring to the other thereby diminishing gene flow. Finally, the most surprising and worrying results were that the three hot spring populations are introgressed by mtDNA genes of O. leucostictus, while microsatellite analysis suggested that some nuclear genes may also have crossed the species barrier. It is very likely that the recent intensification of aquaculture activities in the Loboi drainage may be responsible for these introgressions. Taking into account the importance of these new genetic resources, protection and management actions of the Loboi swamp should be accorded top priority to prevent the loss of these spring populations. Citation: Ndiwa TC, Nyingi DW, Agnese J-F (2014) An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya. PLoS ONE 9(9): e106972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106972 Editor: Valerio Ketmaier, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Germany Received May 22, 2014; Accepted August 4, 2014; Published September 15, 2014 Copyright: ß 2014 Ndiwa et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data are within the paper and its supporting information files. mtDNA sequences are stored at Genbank (accession numbers provided in Table 1). Funding: TCN received a personal grant from IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le De´veloppement) and MAE (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Field work was funded by Kenya Wetlands Research and National Museums of Kenya (NMK). Laboratory work was funded 50% by IRD and 50% by NMK. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * Email: [email protected] Introduction production estimated at 2,790,350 metric tonnes in 2011, and valued at 4.52 billion USD [10]. This species is favoured by fish Tilapias are some of the most important species for fisheries and farmers due to its fast growth rate and its ability to tolerate a wide aquaculture in Africa. This has contributed to their massive range of environmental conditions [11]. Resistance to diseases and transfer not only within Africa, but to other countries around the good consumer acceptance has further promoted its culture world [1,2,3]. These transfers are a major concern because of the worldwide [12]. invasive nature of tilapia species and their ability to hybridize with Seven subspecies of Nile tilapia have been described based on local species [3,4,5]. Introgression of alien genes can leads to morphological characteristics [8]: O. n. niloticus from West-Africa disruption of specific allele combinations responsible for adapta- and River Nile, O. n. baringoensis from Lake Baringo, O. n. tion of the populations to their environments hence reducing their sugutae from River Suguta (Kenya), O. n. eduardianus from Lakes fitness [6,7]. Edward, Albert, George and Tanganyika, O. n. vulcani from Lake Within tilapias, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758), the Nile Turkana, O. n. cancellatus from River Awash, and Lake Tana and tilapia, is the most economically important species, with a wide O. n. filoa from hot springs in the Awash system. Recently, Nyingi natural distribution in Africa. Its natural range covers the entire et al. [5] discovered a natural population from Lake Bogoria Hotel Nilo-Sudanian province (Senegal to Nile), Ethiopian Rift-Valley Spring (Kenya). This spring that drains into Loboi swamp is province, Kivu province, North Tanganyika Province (Ruzizi) and characterized by an elevated water temperature (36uC) and pH the Northern part of the East African Rift-Valley [8,9]. Currently, ranging from 6.4–6.9 [13]. This population of O. niloticus was Nile tilapia is cultured in more than 100 countries and its characterised by 10 private microsatellite alleles and five private PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org 1 September 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 9 | e106972 Introgressed Oreochromis niloticus in Loboi Swamp mtDNA haplotypes. Both extents of mitochondrial and microsat- compared, three from the hot springs of the Loboi drainage ellite differentiations were in the range of those observed among (Turtle Spring, Chelaba Spring and Lake Bogoria Hotel Spring) other naturally occurring discrete populations in the region (Lakes (Figures S1–S3), while other populations were from Kenyan Lakes Baringo and Turkana, and River Suguta). These observations or Rivers (Baringo, Turkana, Suguta). Authorization to collect and indicated that the Lake Bogoria Hotel Spring population was not sacrifice fish within the protected areas in Lake Turkana was as earlier hypothesised, introduced from other neighbouring East provided by the means of a permit (number KWS/BRM/5001). African natural populations, but represents a previously unknown All fishing and processing of tissue and whole fish specimens was natural population. carried out under existing collaborative arrangements with the This population offers new opportunities for aquaculture due to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the National Museums of various adaptations including its ability to survive in relatively high Kenya (NMK) for purposes of biodiversity research. For the other temperatures (approx. 36uC). The fish may therefore have locations outside protected areas, no special authorization was developed hypoxic resistance mechanisms since dissolved oxygen necessary. levels are generally low in warm waters. In addition, special As there is no Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or adaptations may also be present that regulate sex determination equivalent animal ethic committee in Kenya, no formal approval mechanisms known to involve temperature [14,15]. This popula- was obtained for this work. To minimize suffering of individuals tion may in this regard potentially offer a model for the study of studied, specimens were captured using seine nets and immedi- sex determination in tilapine fishes. ately anaesthetized and killed using an overdose of MS-222 In a first study [5] samples from a single hot spring in the Loboi (Tricaine-S, Western Chemicals Inc). After death, a fragment of drainage, the Lake Bogoria Hotel Spring were analysed. At least muscle or fin tissue was taken from each specimen and two other springs with similar ecological conditions exist, each immediately preserved in 95% ethanol for later DNA analyses. hosting O. niloticus population, the Chelaba Spring that is located Voucher whole fish specimens were fixed in 4% formalin and later close to the Lake Bogoria Hotel Spring and the Turtle Spring preserved in 70% ethanol, and are presently curated at the located at the border of the papyrus marsh of Loboi Swamp. In National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi. Other voucher order to protect these populations from various anthropogenic and specimens whose sequences were obtained from Genbank are environmental threats, there is an urgent need to characterise their curated at the Muse´e Royal de l9Afrique Centrale (MRAC) in natural genetic diversity as a first step of a future action plan for Tervuren, Belgium or at the Institut des Sciences de l9Evolution de sustainable management. The Loboi Swamp itself has receded in Montpellier (ISEM), France (Table 1). size by over 60% over a short period of 30 years due to expansion of irrigation via a ditch constructed in 1970 [13,16] and DNA extraction, sequencing and microsatellite
Recommended publications
  • Implications for Management AFRICAN GREAT LAKES
    AFRICAN GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE 2nd – 5th MAY 2017, ENTEBBE, UGANDA Dynamics of Fish Stocks of Commercial Importance in Lake Victoria, East Africa: Implications for Management Robert Kayanda, Anton Taabu-Munyaho, Dismas Mbabazi, Hillary Mrosso, and Chrisphine Nyamweya INTRODUCTION • Lake Victoria with a surface area of 68,800 sqkm is the world’s second largest freshwater body • It supports one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries with the estimated total fish landings from the lake for the period of 2011 to 2014 have been about 1 million tons with a beach value increasing from about US$ 550 Million in 2011 to about US$ 840 million in 2014. • It supports about 220,000 fishers (Frame Survey 2016) • The fish stocks of Lake Victoria have changed dramatically since the introduction of Nile perch Lates niloticus during the late 1950s and early 1960s Fishery Haplochromines The Original Fish Fauna Brycinus sp Protopterus Rastrineobola Mormyrus spp Barbus spp Bagrus docmac Labeo Schilbe intermedius Oreochromis variabilis Clarias gariepinus Mormyrus spp Synodontis victoriae Oreochromis leucostictus INTRODUCTION Currently, the fisheries is dominated by four major commercial important species, these are; •Nile perch •Dagaa •Nile tilapia •Haplochromis Apart from Nile tilapia only estimated through trawl and catch surveys, the other 3 are estimated through trawl, acoustics, and catch INTRODUCTION This paper summarizes current knowledge of the status of the fish stocks and reviews the need for species specific management plans for the major commercial important fish species of Lake Victoria (Nile perch, Nile tilapia, dagaa and haplochromines). Methods • Fisheries dependent – Frame surveys – Catch assessment surveys • Fisheries independent – Acoustic – Bottom trawl Biomass and relative abundance • Total biomass from the surveys 3500 remained fairly stable over time.
    [Show full text]
  • Trophic Niche Segregation in the Nilotic Ichthyofauna of Lake Albert (Uganda, Africa)
    Environmental Biology of Fishes (2005) 74:247–260 Ó Springer 2005 DOI 10.1007/s10641-005-3190-8 Trophic niche segregation in the Nilotic ichthyofauna of Lake Albert (Uganda, Africa) Linda M. Campbella,d, Sylvester B. Wanderab, Robert J. Thackerc,e, D. George Dixona & Robert E. Heckya aDepartment of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 bFisheries Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 343, Jinja, Uganda cDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada dCurrent address: School of Environmental Studies and Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6 (e-mail: [email protected]) eCurrent address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6 Received 29 April 2004 Accepted 13 February 2005 Key words: d13C, d15N, food webs, Nile perch, stable isotopes Synopsis Nile perch, Lates niloticus, and Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, were originally transplanted from Lake Albert in western Uganda to the African Great Lakes, Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga, where they are partially implicated in reduction of the fish species diversity. Lake Albert is facing multiple environmental changes, including declining fish species diversity, hyper-eutrophication, hypoxia, and reduced fish catches. To examine the role of Nile perch and Nile tilapia in the food web in their native Lake Albert, we estimated their diets using stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes. In Lake Albert, the tilapiine congeners (closely related species), Tilapia zillii, Oreochromis leucostictus, and Sarethorodon galilaeus, and the centropomid Nile perch congener, Lates macrophthalmus, have narrower diet breath in the presence of the native O.
    [Show full text]
  • The Status of the Fish Stocks, the Environment and Socio-Economics of Kabaka's Lake
    The fish stocks of Kabaka's Lake Item Type book_section Authors Kamanyi, J.R.; Mbabazi, D. Publisher Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Download date 06/10/2021 12:47:57 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/35290 The Status of the Fish Stocks, the Environment and socio-economics of Kabaka's Lake The Fisheries Research Component Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project P.O. Box 343, Jinja March 2001 ~ - ----~ ------- --~----~- ---~ -- -­ The fish Stocks of Kabaka's Lake By J. R. Kamanyi & D. Mbabazi Introduction Kabaka's Lake as the name implies, is a lake that belongs to the Buganda Kingdom which is under the Kabaka of Buganda (King of Buganda) and is located in the central portion of Kampala city. At the launching of "Food for all in Buganda" campaign during November 1999 at Nfuufu in Mukono District - Uganda, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) was requested to find means of reactivating the fishery potential of the lake. The lake had been stocked with the Nile perch (Lates niloticus & T. zillil) during 1950s and the fishery was not being efficiently exploited. After restocking, no monitoring was done and therefore it was not known whether the introduced species established themselves. Restocking was mainly aimed at enabling this lake provide a source of food and recreation. The major objective of the study therefore was to establish the present status of the fishery by determining the fish species composition, distribution, relative abundance, population structure of the major fish species, catch rates in the gill net fishery and the biology and ecology of the dominant fish species.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation and Documentation of Fish Lipid Content, Classes and Heavy Metal Levels in Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Kenyan
    Analysis of Fish Lipids and Heavy Metal Contents in Selected Fish Species from Lake Naivasha and the Kenyan Coast and Fish Eating Habits of the Inhabitants Caroline Wanjiru Chege A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment for the Degree of Master of Science in Chemistry in the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology 2011 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other University. Signature: ................................................... Date: ...................................... Caroline Wanjiru Chege This thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as University supervisors 1. Signature: ............................................ Date: ........................................ Prof. Joseph M. Keriko JKUAT, Kenya 2. Signature: ............................................ Date: ........................................ Prof. Eric C. Mwachiro Pwani University College, Kenya 3. Signature: ............................................ Date: ........................................ Dr. Mercy N. Githua JKUAT, Kenya ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my loving parents Mr. John Chege and Mrs. Margaret Chege, for all the reasons you have taught me in life and for giving me the great gift of education. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I thank the almighty God, by whose grace I have successfully achieved what I strived for. I gratefully acknowledge the guidance given by my supervisors, Prof. Joseph M. Keriko, Prof. Eric C. Mwachiro and Dr. Mercy N. Githua throughout this work. Their limitless effort, guidance, zeal, deep interest in the problem, supervision, positive criticism, helpful and interesting discussions, for making me see the positive side of the world and continued inspiration throughout the work, without which this study would not have been possible. I wish to thank the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology through the Research, Production and Extension (RPE) division for finances under the Lipid research project (Vote Ref.
    [Show full text]
  • Prevalence, Intensity and Pathological Lesions Associated with Helminth
    PREVALENCE, INTENSITY AND PATHOLOGICAL LESIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HELMINTH INFECTIONS IN FARMED / / AND WILD FISH IN UPPER TANA RIVER BASIN, KENYA CHARLES GICHOHlt MATHENGE (BVM, UON) A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FISH SCIENCE University of NAIROBI Library 0416939 7 DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY PATHOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI 2010 11 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other University. Signed ............ date: \ Charles Gichohi Mathenge This thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as University Supervisors: Signed:........................................................ date: A P i 0 Dr. Mbuthia, P. G. (BVM, MSc, Dip. Path., PhD) date:...... Dr. Waruiru, R. M. (BVM, MSc, PhD) Signed: ...'. 7 ......... date:. /. 9 .... Prof. Ngatia, T. A. (BVM, MSc, Dip. PVM, PhD) Ill DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my mother Rachael Waruguru and my late father, Moses Wanjuki Mathenge. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to my supervisors Dr. Mbuthia P.G., Dr. Waruiru R.M. and Professor Ngatia T.A., for their invaluable advice, suggestions, guidance, moral support and encouragement throughout the study period. I am highly indebted to the Director, Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, for allowing me to go on study leave and the award of a scholarship to undertake this MSc programme. I also wish to acknowledge the Chairman, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Prof. Maingi E. N. for invaluable advice and facilitating the preliminary market study.
    [Show full text]
  • Testing the Potential of Environmental DNA Methods for Surveying Lake Tanganyika's Highly Diverse Fish Communities Christopher J
    Testing the potential of environmental DNA methods for surveying Lake Tanganyika's highly diverse fish communities Christopher James Doble A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London April 2020 1 Declaration I, Christopher James Doble, confirm the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm this has been indicated in the thesis. Christopher James Doble Date: 27/04/2020 2 Statement of authorship I planned and undertook fieldwork to the Kigoma region of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania in 2016 and 2017. This included obtaining research permits, collecting environmental DNA samples and undertaking fish community visual survey data used in Chapters three and four. For Chapter two, cichlid reference database sequences were sequenced by Walter Salzburger’s research group at the University of Basel. I extracted required regions from mitochondrial genome alignments during a visit to Walter’s research group. Other reference sequences were obtained by Sanger sequencing. I undertook the DNA extractions and PCR amplifications for all samples, with the clean-up and sequencing undertaken by the UCL Sequencing facility. I undertook the method development, DNA extractions, PCR amplifications and library preparations for each of the next generation sequencing runs in Chapters three and four at the NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility Sheffield. Following training by Helen Hipperson at the NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility in Sheffield, I undertook the bioinformatic analysis of sequence data in Chapters three and four. I also carried out all the data analysis within each chapter. Chapters two, three and parts of four have formed a manuscript recently published in Environmental DNA (Doble et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing the Genetic Diversity of Farmed and Wild Rufiji Tilapia (Oreochromis Urolepis Urolepis) Populations Using Ddrad Sequencing
    Received: 20 May 2020 | Revised: 16 July 2020 | Accepted: 20 July 2020 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6664 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Assessing the genetic diversity of farmed and wild Rufiji tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis urolepis) populations using ddRAD sequencing Christer S. Nyinondi1,2 | Matern S. P. Mtolera2 | Aviti J. Mmochi2 | Fernando A. Lopes Pinto1 | Ross D. Houston3 | Dirk J. de Koning1 | Christos Palaiokostas1,3 1Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Abstract Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden Rufiji tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis urolepis) is an endemic cichlid in Tanzania. In addi- 2 Institute of Marine Sciences, University of tion to its importance for biodiversity conservation, Rufiji tilapia is also attractive for Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanzania 3The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) farming due to its high growth rate, salinity tolerance, and the production of all-male School of Veterinary Studies, University of hybrids when crossed with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The aim of the cur- Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK rent study was to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of both wild Correspondence and farmed Rufiji tilapia populations in order to inform conservation and aquacul- Christos Palaiokostas, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University ture practices. Double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA (ddRAD) libraries were of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. constructed from 195 animals originating from eight wild (Nyamisati, Utete, Mansi, Email: [email protected] Mindu, Wami, Ruaha, Kibasira, and Kilola) and two farmed (Bwawani and Chemchem) Funding information populations. The identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; n = 2,182) were Swedish International Development Agency; BBSRC Institute Strategic Program Grants, used to investigate the genetic variation within and among the studied populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcolapia Grahami)
    Evolution of Fish in Extreme Environments: Insights from the Magadi tilapia (Alcolapia grahami) Dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. Nat) Presented by Geraldine Dorcas Kavembe at the Faculty of Sciences Department of Biology Konstanz, 2015 Konstanzer Online-Publikations-System (KOPS) URL: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-0-290866 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The University of Konstanz is a wonderful place to study fish biology. It is strategically located at the heart of Lake Constance (the Bodensee) and at the mouth of River Rhine. Even more fascinating, I have been very fortunate to pursue my PhD studies surrounded by an inspiring group of budding and accomplished evolutionary biologists, who define the Meyer lab. I must admit it is impossible to acknowledge all individuals who in one way or another contributed to the completion of this thesis, but I would like to acknowledge some key individuals and institutions for their significant contributions. First, I thank my supervisors: Prof. Dr. Axel Meyer and Prof Dr. Chris Wood for accepting to mentor and walk with me during my PhD research. The great discussions, immense support and your patience with me gave me the impetus to carry on even when everything seemed impossible. Axel and Chris, thank you for believing and investing your time and resources in me. I thank Prof. Dr. Mark van Kleunen for accepting to serve in my defense committee. I am grateful to Dr. Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino who despite constantly reminding me that he was not my supervisor has been my undercover mentor throughout all my projects.
    [Show full text]
  • An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis Niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya
    An Important Natural Genetic Resource of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Threatened by Aquaculture Activities in Loboi Drainage, Kenya Titus Chemandwa Ndiwa1,2, Dorothy Wanja Nyingi1*, Jean-Franc¸ois Agnese2 1 Kenya Wetlands Biodiversity Research Group, Ichthyology Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 De´partement Conservation et Domestication, UMR IRD 226 CNRS 5554, Institut des Science de l’Evolution, Universite´ de Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France Abstract The need to improve food security in Africa through culture of tilapias has led to transfer of different species from their natural ranges causing negative impacts on wild fish genetic resources. Loboi swamp in Kenya is fed by three hot springs: Lake Bogoria Hotel, Chelaba and Turtle Springs, hosting natural populations of Oreochromis niloticus. The present study aimed at better genetic characterization of these threatened populations. Partial mtDNA sequences of the D-loop region and variations at 16 microsatellite loci were assessed in the three hot spring populations and compared with three other natural populations of O. niloticus in the region. Results obtained indicated that the hot spring populations had mitochondrial and nuclear genetic variability similar to or higher than the large closely related populations. This may be attributed to the perennial nature of the hot springs, which do not depend on rainfall but rather receive permanent water supply from deep aquifers. The study also revealed that gene flow between the three different hot spring populations was sufficiently low thus allowing their differentiation. This differentiation was unexpected considering the very close proximity of the springs to each other. It is possible that the swamp creates a barrier to free movement of fish from one spring to the other thereby diminishing gene flow.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Aspects of the Biology and Lifehistory Strategies of Oreochromis
    Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management 2012 17: 65–72 Some aspects of the biology and life-history strategies of Oreochromis variabilis (Boulenger 1906) in the Lake Victoria Basin J. Maithya,1 M. Njiru,2* J. B. Okeyo-Owuor3 and J. Gichuki4 1Department of Biological Sciences, 2Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 3School of Environmental Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, and 4Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya Abstract Oreochromis variabilis (Boulenger), a fish species endemic to Lake Victoria, was abundant, forming an important compo- nent of the indigenous fisheries stocks before and up to the late-1950s. Catches declined drastically thereafter, and only sporadic catches are currently found in Lake Victoria. Remnants population of the species, however, are found in several small waterbodies (SWBs) within the lake basin. The life-history characteristics of O. variabilis in Lake Victoria, includ- ing, sex ratio, reproduction and length–weight relationship, were compared to those in selected three SWBs in the lake basin. Fish samples were collected by monofilament gillnets of 30–255 mm between 2001 and 2005. Males predominated over females from all the sampled sites (sex ratio 1.00:0.33). Length at first maturity (Lm50) had mean (±SE) of 18.48 ± 1.50 cm TL for males, and 16.87 ± 0.95 cm TL for females, and did not exhibit any significant differences between habitats. Fecundity ranged between 73 and 14 800 eggs for fish of 13.5–18.6 cm TL, respectively. Absolute fecundity of O. variabilis was proportional to the body weight, but nearly proportional to the cube of the fish length.
    [Show full text]
  • Widespread Colonisation of Tanzanian Catchments by Introduced Oreochromis Tilapia Fishes: the Legacy from Decades of Deliberate Introduction
    Shechonge, A., Ngatunga, B. P., Bradbeer, S. J., Day, J. J., Freer, J. J., Ford, A. G. P., Kihedu, J., Richmond, T., Mzighani, S., Smith, A. M., Sweke, E. A., Tamatamah, R., Tyers, A. M., Turner, G. F., & Genner, M. J. (2019). Widespread colonisation of Tanzanian catchments by introduced Oreochromis tilapia fishes: the legacy from decades of deliberate introduction. Hydrobiologia, 832(1), 235-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3597-9 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.1007/s10750-018-3597-9 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via SPRINGER at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10750-018-3597-9 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ Hydrobiologia https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3597-9 ADVANCES IN CICHLID RESEARCH III Widespread colonisation of Tanzanian catchments by introduced Oreochromis tilapia fishes: the legacy from decades of deliberate introduction Asilatu Shechonge . Benjamin P. Ngatunga . Stephanie J. Bradbeer . Julia J. Day . Jennifer J. Freer . Antonia G. P. Ford . Jonathan Kihedu . Tabitha Richmond . Semvua Mzighani . Alan M. Smith . Emmanuel A. Sweke . Rashid Tamatamah .
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Natural Capital Into Sustainable Development Decision-Making in Uganda
    Integrating Natural Capital into Sustainable Development Decision-Making in Uganda A project funded by the UK Government Fisheries Resources Accounts for Uganda March 2021 Copyright: National Environment Management Authority National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) NEMA House Plot 17/19/21 Jinja Road P.O. Box 22255 Kampala, Uganda Email: [email protected] Website: www.nema.go.ug Citation: NEMA (2021), Fisheries Resources Accounts for Uganda, ISBN: 978-9970-881-47-5 Editorial team Francis Sabino Ogwal NEMA Editor-in-Chief Dr Victoria Tibenda NaFIRRI Lead Reviewer Eugene Telly Muramira NEMA Consultant Agaton Mufubi NEMA Consultant Paul Okello UBOS Quality Assurance Steve King UNEP-WCMC Editor Mark Eigenraam IDEEA Group Editor Tom Geme NEMA Editor “Integrating Natural Capital Accounting into Sustainable Development Development Decision-making in Uganda” is a project funded by the Darwin Initiative through the UK Government, and implemented by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBoS) and National Planning Authority (NPA) in Uganda, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Institute for Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting (IDEEA Group). https://www.unep-wcmc.org/featured-projects/nca-in-uganda ii | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD .............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]